Are you a Woman Newly Diagnosed with ADHD in Austin?

If so, welcome to the club. ;) As a result of greater awareness about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), many women are learning that they have ADHD.

A new diagnosis of ADHD can bring some grief and sadness, but a diagnosis is good news, too. It can also clear up a lot of confusion and help you make sense of past experiences. Let's look at some things that often happen when women first learn they have ADHD. 

7 Things That Happen When Women Finally Get an ADHD Diagnosis

1. Your ADHD Symptoms Finally Make Sense 

The test results are in, and you now have a diagnosis of ADHD. Finally, you have answers to things you've wondered about for years. You can reflect on the symptoms of ADHD that affect your daily life in so many different ways. You start to understand why you made some of your decisions or had problems in areas of your life like work, relationships, or finances. You reflect on your personal narrative and start to see the why behind the actions and feel some relief because now you understand yourself better.  

2. You Become aware of your ADHD Brain 

Now that you know you have a mental health condition that affects your quality of life, you are more aware of the specific ways it impacts you. You may be able to make different decisions now that you know more about how your brain works. You learn more about different mood disorders that are more likely to co-occur with ADHD. You start to think about executive functions and where your strengths and weaknesses are. 

3. Your Family May Disagree

Sometimes, family members–especially parents–may push back at your diagnosis. They may recall what a good girl you were or provide evidence that you had no difficulties or differences. This is a normal response you can often get through when you remember that your parents did not have all the information you now have. They may be experiencing some guilt that they did not recognize your individual needs. Help them to understand that they tried their best and explain how a diagnosis helps you now. 

4. Close Family Members recognize their Own ADHD 

Once you inform your family about your diagnosis, watch out. Newly diagnosed adult women may find themselves explaining what it is like to have ADHD because family members are curious. Once they learn more, it is common for older adults and parents of (adult) children to suspect that they have ADHD. It is also common for parents of children with ADHD to  suspect they have ADHD. Since there appears to be a genetic aspect to ADHD, this tracks.  

5. You Scrutinize your Past Academic Performance

Once you realize that ADHD can easily affect learning and academic performance, you may reexamine your time in school. You may have had behavioral issues that affected your school performance. Maybe time management became difficult for you in high school. I had trouble taking elective classes at the University of Texas. I did well in my major courses, but my electives were less interesting, and I had difficulty completing the work. 

6. You analyze your Social Skills

Oftentimes, social skills are affected by ADHD. People with ADHD may have a difficult time paying attention during conversations, interrupt others, talk incessantly about certain topics, and may forget to follow up with friends. They may also spend time doing things they love instead of socializing. And although you may not do these things now, you may have done them when you were younger. It is normal for Another co-occurring condition with ADHD is Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). People with ASD may have unique needs, and ASD can affect friendships as well. And just as there is late-identified ADHD, a person can have late-identified Autism as well. Many of the symptoms of ADHD and ASD overlap, so it can be difficult to isolate the two. 

7. You Learn New Vocabulary 

A nice bonus of learning about ADHD is a whole new vocabulary! Well, not entirely new. You are aware of things like stress management and know what the term treatment options mean, but learning how those words apply to your life and your diagnosis will take some time. I will talk more in-depth about these words in a new post, but for now, here are a few that you will become familiar with on your mental health journey. Here are a few words that may be helpful to know:

• stimulant medications: a common class of ADHD medication for people with ADHD

• psychiatrist: a doctor who prescribes medicine for mental health diagnosis

• treatment plan: the course of action a professional creates to reach a particular goal

• cognitive behavioral therapy: a modality of therapy that can be used to help people with ADHD challenges

• mental health professionals: many professionals fall under this umbrella–counselors, therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists

• neurodevelopmental disorders: disorders caused by brain development

• support group: a group of people who usually share a common situation and offer support to each other

• co-occurring disorders: two or more diagnoses that commonly occur together, such as ADHD and a learning disorder 

• differential diagnosis: when clinicians diagnose someone, they must do enough testing that they exclude other diagnoses that exhibit similar presentations

• neurodiversity: the idea that people's brains work differently and there is not one right way for a brain to operate

• neurodiverse: a term that usually refers to people with certain neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, Autism, Learning Disorders, and Tourette's. 

Living with ADHD comes with wonderful advantages and can also come with challenges. There is no need to cure ADHD or fix it because even though the word, disorder, is in the title of the diagnosis, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, you are fine as you are.

Therapy can be helpful for people with ADHD when they have normal life challenges when they are trying to become more comfortable or familiar with living with ADHD, or if they want strategies for specific issues that sometimes come with adult ADHD.  

Years of experience living with ADHD have helped me realize that lifestyle changes, medication management, and spending time getting comfortable with how my brain works and how I can take good care of myself make all the difference in how I function.

Therapy is one of the best ways–in my opinion–to get comfortable with your ADHD. I work with women who have a proper diagnosis of ADHD as well as women who suspect they may have ADHD. Contact me at 737.530.3946 to click below to schedule a consultation.